IHIP News Podcast: “Trump's Dementia Test Results and Why He Can't Stop Talking About It”

Date: December 13, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie “Pumps” Sullivan

Episode Overview

This episode dives into former President Donald Trump's repeated claims about acing his cognitive tests, examining what his obsession with these “results” may actually reveal. Jennifer and Pumps bring their signature sharp, comedic commentary to break down Trump’s rants, what cognitive testing actually measures, and why his fixation is so telling. They also discuss the alarming passivity of Republican leaders, the broader consequences for American democracy, and reflect on what it means to witness such a bizarre era in political history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Obsession with His Cognitive Exams

• Jennifer unpacks Trump’s constant public boasting about acing his cognitive tests, arguing that the very persistence and volume of these claims suggest insecurity and likely failure ([00:49]):
  • “He will not stop talking about it... he, quote, aced his cognitive test. He’s a high IQ. The doctors have never seen anything like it…which tells me he has in fact taken the cognitive test and he’s failed the cognitive test multiple times.”
• Jennifer’s theory is that Trump’s public language often reveals the very things he is most insecure or defensive about.
• Sample Trump post on social media (read by Jennifer) lists a litany of self-congratulation on everything from military success to “boring medical exams” ([01:41]).
• Notable quote (Jennifer):
  • “If I woke up one morning and you had sent me a text message like that, I would call your kids and I would say, we need to get your mother somewhere. Something severely wrong with her.” ([05:41])

2. Cognitive Testing as Evidence of Decline

• Pumps emphasizes that cognitive exams are given for a reason ([05:51]):
  • “They are monitoring his cognitive decline. They don’t just for sh*ts and giggles give you a cognitive test every time you go in. So there is no doubt in my mind he’s been diagnosed with dementia and that they are now monitoring how bad.”
• The hosts joke about Trump’s late-night posting sprees as additional evidence:
  • “If I texted 180 times in one evening like he did…he needs to be put in a straight jacket.” ([05:51])

3. The Actual Cognitive Test: “Hard Work” or Basic Screening?

• Jennifer and Pumps go through the test Trump brags about ([07:27]):
  • Jennifer mockingly describes the “hard work” Trump claims to put in—pointing out the test is essentially drawing lines between numbers and letters, naming animals, etc.
  • Comic Moment: Pumps jokes about fumbling the animal-naming task herself ([08:22]):
    • “Horse lion deck or horse tiger deck.”
    • Jennifer laughs: “Shut up... Oh my god. Kylie you can’t cut that out. You have to leave it. Pumps, you’re so cute. Yeah, he flunked.” ([08:32])
  • Both agree the test is not difficult and that Trump’s “work” is laughable, further questioning his mental acuity.

4. The Media, Republican Cowardice, and the 25th Amendment

• Critique of Republican leaders who refuse to challenge Trump despite obvious red flags ([09:26]):
  • “These cowardice Republicans would rather resign and retire...than do anything about it.”
• Supreme Court and institutional collapse: Jennifer discusses the feeling of foreboding watching checks and balances seemingly erode ([10:24]):
  • “There are times...we both remark about how daunting it is. Sometimes you have this foreboding feeling how quickly they're moving to break everything and how little the people that actually have power…don't do it.”
• Both agree: the bar for accountability is “nowhere near far enough,” and the invocation of the 25th Amendment is long overdue.

5. Authoritarian Drift, Tech Oligarchs, and AI

• Jennifer connects current trends to broader authoritarian playbooks, outlining the danger of big tech embedding itself in government and military ([10:44]):
  • “The deep state that he was talking about that didn’t exist. He’s created it now.”
• Pumps adds that efforts to block AI regulation expose the real intentions ([11:39]):
  • “He is the deep state...Now Trump is trying to make it where the states can’t regulate [AI]...They want to [operate] with reckless abandon.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jennifer: “If I woke up one morning and you had sent me a text message like that, I would call your kids and say, we need to get your mother somewhere... Something severely wrong with her.” ([05:41])

• Pumps: "They don’t just for sh*ts and giggles give you a cognitive test every time you go in. So there is no doubt in my mind he’s been diagnosed with dementia..." ([05:51])

• Jennifer (on President's ‘hard work’): “He’s saying like, basically I’m having to do all this work to take all these tests because they’re so hard.” ([07:27])

• Classic banter:

  • Jennifer: “You flunked this, Jennifer.”
  • Pumps: “Oh my god. Kylie you can’t cut that out. You have to leave it, Pumps, you’re so cute. Yeah, he flunked.”_ ([08:32])

• On 25th Amendment:

  • Jennifer: “This is a 25th amendment time. And we can just say that out into the Internet, Pumps. Nobody’s going to do anything about it. These cowardice Republicans would rather resign and retire…”_ ([09:26])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s social media rant and host reaction: [00:49] – [05:41]
• Cognitive testing and late-night posting as evidence of decline: [05:51] – [06:25]
• Making fun of the cognitive test’s simplicity: [07:27] – [09:25]
• Institutional critique and authoritarian warning: [10:16] – [11:39]
• AI regulation loophole discussion: [11:39] – [12:10]
• Show wrap-up and comic callback to animal test: [12:19] – [12:31]

Tone & Style

Jennifer and Pumps’ approach is irreverent, biting, and often darkly comic. Their banter keeps heavy political analysis accessible and relatable, using humor and personal anecdotes to underscore the stakes of Trump’s behavior for American democracy.

Takeaway

The hosts argue that Trump’s relentless self-promotion around cognitive testing is itself a loud admission of decline. They highlight the worrying reluctance of institutional gatekeepers to act, underscore dangers posed by tech-business and regulatory capture, and urge listeners to recognize the deep seriousness beneath the absurd headlines.